KINGSLEY FIELD, ORE. -- A change of command ceremony marked a major transition for the 173rd Fighter Wing when Col. Lee Bouma relinquished command to Col. Adam Gaudinski who stepped into the position on November 2, 2024.
Gaudinski was selected for the position after serving as the 173rd Maintenance Group commander where he maintained oversight and command over a 500-member team composed of Total Force Airmen.
“As the ceremony unfolds and we give our heartfelt thanks to the outgoing commander and our heartfelt appreciation for the incoming commander, I want you to think about all the things that transpire to bring us to this day,” said Assistant Adjutant General - Air of the Oregon Air National Guard, Brig. Gen. David Unruh, the reviewing officer for the ceremony.
In his remarks, Unruh charged Gaudinski to remember that all this fraternity, these brothers and sisters, and himself were called to serve for this moment.
The heart of the change of command ceremony is the passing of the guidon, a flag representing the wing, which is passed from the outgoing commander to the new. This formal protocol shifts the authority and responsibility of the command in a single moment which is rooted in military history.
Once complete, the wing completed another tradition common to Air Force fighter wings—revealing the name of the new commander on the flagship aircraft of the fleet. Gaudinski the newly minted commander, looked on as a crew chief peeled back a covering revealing a fresh stencil reading Col Adam Gaudinski beneath the canopy of the cockpit.
After accepting the guidon Gaudinski addressed his assembled Airmen.
“Your unwavering ability to put integrity first, and to place service before self, and your excellence in all you do, will defeat the change and uncertainty we face,” said Gaudinski. “Our greatest strength comes from you, you the American Airmen, more specifically, you the Kingsley Airmen. Rooted in the courage and bravery of our namesake 2nd Lt. David R. Kingsley, you are our nation’s greatest asset.”
Gaudinski is a command pilot who has logged more than 3,400 flight hours and has commanded several Kingsley organizations including the maintenance group, maintenance squadron, and fighter squadron flight. He moves into his role at a unique time in the history for Kingsley Field. Currently the base is slated to transition from the F-15C Eagle to a new platform, potentially the F35 Lightning II.
Gaudinski and Bouma had differing paths with Gaudinski graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy and Bouma transitioning from enlisted to officer, eventually leading them to Kingsley Field to the premiere F-15C Eagle training school where they would both take over command.
The ceremony ushers in a new commander and brings to a close the 27-year-career of Bouma, who formally retired earlier that week.
“For the next few years, I have your back, so do the Airmen next to you; we are a team, family, there is no challenge or uncertainty that we won’t overcome,” said Gaudinski. “We will stay humble, stay hungry and we will win, we will not faulter or fail as we continue to place our Kingsley legacy well into the future.”
| Date Taken: | 11.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2024 18:17 |
| Story ID: | 484711 |
| Location: | KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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